Looking for some advice.

[steve!]

Hey folks, bit a of a newbie to guard here and I have a basic idea of what sort of army I want to do and whilst I am not super competitive I do want something that is viable for your average friendly games.

My general idea was to have a rather guardsman heavy static shooty force comprised of a lot of guardsman squads with commissars and heavy weapons teams. I was thinking of also making use of Aegis defence lines to get that 4+ cover. Not a massive fan of tanks really and whilst I wouldnt say no to a few I much prefer massive blobs of infantry

-Is this a viable base for an army?

-What upgrades and heavy weapons choices would be most viable?

-What other units/choices would compliment this sort of force?

-Any other general advice for this sort of army.

Any help would be appreciated

[WarriorFish]

Welcome to the Guard steve! Your force is definitely viable, but I'd change it a bit so it's less static to give your army more legs so to speak. You and your opponent will get bored playing pure gunline and it's always inferior to a more mobile version.

Guard are about numbers and heavy guns/tanks, stick to this theme and you should be ok. You'll want plenty of Guardsmen to unleash and weather a storm, which also lets you take plenty of heavy weapon teams. Vehicles are of course a great way to add big guns and more importantly vital mobility and durability.

If you're going with an infantry regiment then numbers will be what wins the day, along with sneaky tricks. Veterans will be a good way to get some accuracy in as well as more mobile elements as they can take several special weapons at BS4. They can also perform some of those tricks with their upgrades. You'll need to decide how to take your heavy weapons - in their own squads or as part of Infantry Squads? There are merits to both, but as you're going infantry heavy you might find that taking them as part of the basic squads better for you.

Even if it's just some squads that range forward with a special weapon I strongly recommend you do not make a static army. Even if it does win it's a hollow victory and what's the point in that? If you want boring games and nobody to like you go play Tau!

Have you devised a colour scheme for your Guard? Have you thought about expanding the army later on? Once you start Guard there's no turning back An infantry regiment can be turned into an artillery one quite easily for example

[steve!]

Welcome to the Guard steve! Your force is definitely viable, but I'd change it a bit so it's less static to give your army more legs so to speak. You and your opponent will get bored playing pure gunline and it's always inferior to a more mobile version.

Guard are about numbers and heavy guns/tanks, stick to this theme and you should be ok. You'll want plenty of Guardsmen to unleash and weather a storm, which also lets you take plenty of heavy weapon teams. Vehicles are of course a great way to add big guns and more importantly vital mobility and durability.

If you're going with an infantry regiment then numbers will be what wins the day, along with sneaky tricks. Veterans will be a good way to get some accuracy in as well as more mobile elements as they can take several special weapons at BS4. They can also perform some of those tricks with their upgrades. You'll need to decide how to take your heavy weapons - in their own squads or as part of Infantry Squads? There are merits to both, but as you're going infantry heavy you might find that taking them as part of the basic squads better for you.

Even if it's just some squads that range forward with a special weapon I strongly recommend you do not make a static army. Even if it does win it's a hollow victory and what's the point in that? If you want boring games and nobody to like you go play Tau!

Have you devised a colour scheme for your Guard? Have you thought about expanding the army later on? Once you start Guard there's no turning back An infantry regiment can be turned into an artillery one quite easily for example

Hey,

Perhaps static was the wrong choice of words, I meant it more in the sense I know melee isnt my strong point so I wont go seeking it out but obviously units will be moved about for objectives and such.

As for tanks/armour what would you say compliments a imp guard swarm? Lots of fancy new weapons I am unfamiliar with coming from a Space Marine background.

As for paint jobs I was either thinking of going the standard Cadian route, whilst its not the most original I do love how they look.

[Komrk]

The tanks all depend on who you are fighting but the standard battle tank is decent all around, I've seen the punisher wreck swarm armies, and then MEQ/TEQ armies fear the executioner. I haven't really played against any other Leman Russ variants except for a demolisher that blew itself up (Oops...). Also, would you be willing to take Fliers? Because Vendettas will help you deal with armor pretty quickly.

[Argun]

There is nothing that a Guardsman loves more than the sight of his enemies disappearing underneath the unrelenting barrage of artillery.

For a more static gunline, I'd suggest getting Basilisks, Medusas, and/or Colossi depending on what armies you face. 

Basilisk- all-rounder, good at killing tanks and infantry with ease.

Medusas- tanks and terminators fear these with a passion. Short range, but deadly cannon.

Colossus- makes Marines cry no matter where they are. No cover, AP3, will also make swarms hesitate before assaulting you.

For Russes, I love the Punisher (especially when you put Pask in it. You'd be surprised how many terminators you can kill with its weight of fire alone!) The standard Russ as well as the Demolisher suffer from having the only Ordnance weapons of the tank, so don't get sponsons for them unless you absolutely want them.

Aegis walls are nice, but they are of limited use. I'd put the heavy weapons behind this, as they need all the cover they can get.

Sentinels are great choices, but suffer when they're run as lone wolves. They're pack creatures, so kit them out according to how you want them. Autocannons for anti-infantry/light tank, or lascannons for anti-tank. 

[WarriorFish]

In that case yes, static was definitely the wrong word If you want to stick to the infantry theme then Chimeras and Sentinels would be a nice fit. Chimeras are available in number being a dedicated transport for your troopers and they function well as both transports and fire platforms. Sentinels as walkers fit right in with infantry obviously, but also provide handy mobile big guns as well as some tricks. They work well supporting infantry advances (especially with Chimeras) and Scout Sentinels can skulk in as outflankers and cause a fair bit of trouble.

As Komrk said Leman Russes are a staple of Guard armies as aside from being iconic they're tough and dangerous. The "new" kits are ripe for magnetising too so you can have your pick of the variants Artillery is as mentioned also a good addition, but again there are plenty of options to choose from! I'm sure Argun will soon appear to let you know

Cadians are cool, there's nothing wrong with them or their scheme. In fact, they are likely in the minority! I hope to see pictures of your models soon!

edit: looks like I was right, a wild Argun appeared while I was posting :P

[Komrk]

Another option for an infantry and heavy weapon heavy army is Krieg. They're expensive but they bring a lot of models to the table and they can certainly bring the hurt. I have a friend who plays Krieg and he is so much fun to play against because 1) The models are freaking sick 2) They can put up a fight in CC and have a bunch of special rules 3) Their artillery wrecks people like no tomorrow.

 

Obviously I don't know if you have the money for Krieg but if you do that would be another good option for the type of army you want to bring.